Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-08-25
FOR THE FARMER.
The Old aud Ever Recurring Question
Does it Fay to Cut Feeds"-Thc
Potato Bug.
Value of straw a. an Aid 10 Future Crops
Ravages Of Cut W0rms-lien
Manure.

DOES IT PAY TO CUT EEED?
see some discussion in the papers,
writes d correspondent Of the Breeders
gazette as TO whether it will pay TO cut
feed for stock That depends q great
deal upon the kind of feed and the
stock as well as upon the season Of the
wear. If one has really good hay made
from grass cut at the right period of
growth and properly cured, there is
little to be gained by cutting it, as it is
so well rclshcd by all kinds of stock
that if fed with judgment it viii
be practically all eaten. There are
some dainty feeders, Of course, that
will nose over it and pick out only the
sweetest blades, and something may
re gained in their case by cutting the
hay to such lengths as viii prevent them
from making any selection. But
more can be gained by getting rid of
such animals than by keeping them.
Any animal TO be profitable, either for
enduring constant work or for pro-
ducing milk or flesh, must be a good,
strong eater And when the hay is
poor it seems better economy to let
the stock pick it over and get out the
ding or manure than TO cut it up and
force the stock to eat it all regardless
Of quality. They will get about as
much good from the part as from the
whole. There is not much gained by
compelling an animal TO fill itself up
with a lot Of librous, indigestible mate
rial If feed is scarce, and it is more
of a question as TO how to get the stock
through than how to preserve or inn
prove its condition, then, of course,
the farmer is justified in resorting to all
sorts of cXpedients. But if there is
little uutrimcnt ia the feed The stock
will not thrive on IT, although they
may exist.
Corn fodder will pay most decidedly
for the work of cutting. The animals
can not get at the stalks in satisfact-
DRY way, save at the smaller ends,
unless they are cut, aud the refuse
which goes TO the manure heap is in
convenient shape for work. But when
coru-fodder is cut the animals should
be free to exercise selection in the por-
tions they cat There is good deal
near the butts Of the stalks which is
hard aud yaluelcss, and which no ami
nal will cat unless reduced to COM
palntiyc starvation. Many farmers
seem to think that if an animal can
only be induced to eat "A substance
there is an advantage gained, and so
they sprinkle their grain over these
indigestibe butts in order to induce
the animals to cat them up. But feed
must be very scarce on a farm if this
pays, for such material Is better out
side the animal than inside, Better
scatter the grain over good nutritious
food, for it generally pays to induce
animals 60 eat as much Of this as
possible 1t is often of advantage in
feeding grain to grind it aud mix il
with cut fodder or hay; the coarse food
i'm such eases being useful because
causing q more complete mastication
and digestion of the grain. But that
is a different matter from mixing the
grain with worthless fodder in order
to compel its consumption. When
grain is relatively less an object than
hay it often oftens happens that it will
pay to cut straw and mix with the
grain, aud if the proportion of grain
is properly balanced the practice is a
good one, especially for store stock.
The time of year has something to do
with the matter also, for a farmer can
do many things in the seasons when
work is slack, and DO amply paid by .
moderate advantage, which he can not
protitably do when the work on the
farm is rushing; and SO it is seen there
are several things To be considered in
deciding the question "a, TO whether it
will pay for thu farmer To cat feed